It's Just The Matter of Point of View
by Orlissa92
Summary: Zutara Week 2012, Day 6: Faded. Exploring the beach house on Ember Island, Katara stumbles upon the old grand parlor. It has lost it's grandeur, but she still finds it beautiful.


**Word Count: 1268  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: [Insert funny text here that tells you I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender]**

It's pure curiosity that made Katara wander around the Ember Island beach house. For the nearly three weeks they had been there, somehow they limited their living space to the northern wing – but the southern remained stubbornly unexplored.

It was around sundown and everybody was minding their own business when she started her search. At first, she didn't find anything remarkable – bedrooms upon bedrooms (honestly, why did they need so many of them?), some fabrics she put away for further use, and… well, a lot of spiderhopper webs. And dust.

The upper level looked over, she headed to the ground level – that's where she found the room that took her breath away.

It was… grand, to say at least. The room was huge – her whole tribe could have fit into it easily. The high ceiling, the walls and the elaborate columns were painted deep burgundy, decorated with cravings and golden paint. The floor was black, polished granite, even though it was covered with a thick layer of dust. The furniture was hidden under tarps, and even thought the windows were closed, and it was dim in the room, Katara could imagine how it would look in the sunlight.

Radiant.

She was so lost in the view, she didn't even hear the approaching footsteps behind her back. She only noticed the person sneaking up on her when he put his arms on her waist.

"Here you are," whispered a husky voice into her ear, making her jump a little.

"Zuko!" she exclaimed, turning around. "You scared me!"

He smirked at her that kind of shy way that she had grown to love during the last weeks.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to." And with that he bent down and planted a small kiss on her lips.

She leaned into the kiss, letting out a small sigh. Moments like this – moments of perfect solitude – were rare and far in-between. They had agreed on to keep their relationship secret, at least for now, until the comet had passed. The members of their group – especially Aang – were stressed out enough as it is. They didn't need one more thing to worry about.

"So… what distracted you so much?" Zuko asked when the kiss ended. Katara merely shrugged.

"Just this room. It's just so beautiful." She turned around, looking around once more. "You don't see things like this in the South Pole."

Zuko only scowled a little.

"Beautiful? I doubt that." He let go of her waist and stepped over to a covered touch. "It used to be, though. When I was a child and my mother was still with us it looked completely different. It wasn't so… dusty." He pulled the tarp off, revealing a deep red, velvet loveseat. He sat down and motioned her to follow.

"What is this place, exactly?" She asked, sitting down and leaning against his side.

"The grand parlor. When we came to Ember Island, my mother would see her guests here. There were times when this room was full of ladies." He cringed, remembering something. "Many of them would pinch my cheek." He added, making Katara laugh. "I remember that the air here would always smell of tea and perfumes and flowers, and that the floor was always gleaming – the servants would polish it every morning. And my mother would sit here, right where we are sitting now."

Katara closed her eyes, imagining the very scene he was describing.

"Then it really must have been breathing taking. Even more than now," she said, snuggling closer to him.

"Yeah… but still, it never was as beautiful as the palace." He said wishfully, putting his arm around Katara's shoulder.

"Tell me what it looks like?" She asked him.

"Haven't you already been there?" He turned to her with a smile on his face. "During the eclipse?"

"I never got to see the living quarters. I didn't even get inside the palace. Dad got injured – I stayed with him." She explained.

He nodded, musing about what he should tell her.

"So, it's… big. Very big. And kind of dark. But very luxurious. And–"

"Tell me about your room!" She cut in, suddenly sounding sleepy.

He looked down at the top of her head lovingly. He caressed her side, eliciting a happy sigh from her.

"It's on the second floor, overlooking the gardens. It has a balcony – sometimes when I was little I would climb down from there and sneak into the garden after bedtime." He paused, but never ceased caressing her. "The furniture is no big deal, I guess. It's the same style as the furnishing here." He shrugged.

"And what about your bed?" She asked, making him chuckle.

"Curious, aren't you?" He smirked, then placed a kiss on the top of her head. "It's rather comfortable. Really comfortable. The sheets are silk, but when the weather is too hot, I often have them changed to cotton ones. And it's big. Like ridiculously big."

His shoulder vibrated with her chuckling.

"I can't wait to try it out."

Her statement shocked him a little – he couldn't tell whether she was only kidding or was completely serious. But the thought of her being in his bed… well, it wasn't an unpleasant thing to imagine, not at all.

"A little bit eager, aren't you?"

"Maybe," her voice was almost flirtatious. "Tell me more! What is your favorite place there?" He only had to think about it for a moment.

"The turtleduck pond. It's in the far corner of the gardens. We have two whole families of turtleducks. It's mostly the servants who take care of them, but my mother used to feed them as well. I enjoy it, too. It's so peaceful there. I can think, undisturbed, there." He, again, took a short break from speaking. "You would like there. Everything is blue and green. The water in the pond is so clear, you can even see the bottom of the it. And there's that smell… I can't even describe it. I'll have to take you there; you'll have to see it yourself. And there are so many more things I want to show you! There's that fountain… I fell into that once. Of course, it wasn't entirely my fault.

"So, you see, there is plenty of water there. I am sure you would feel comfortable in the palace. But of course, if you would like, I could always have more water – ponds, maybe a small stream – installed. So you would be always near water. And I haven't even mentioned the bath! You would love that. Azula loves that… but it's beside the point. I mean, I guess, every girl would love it. And…" he hesitated a little. "…I am thinking about having my sheets changed – to blue. And maybe some furs on the floor would be nice. I mean, when the war is over, and I – we – get to live there again. I think your optimism is starting to rub off on me.

"…And I am getting ahead of myself, am I not?" He chuckled without humor. "We might as well die in a few weeks, and I am thinking about what I would change in the palace. This is crazy. Don't you think so, Katara?" He asked, but no reply came. "Katara?"

Looking down at her, he realized only then that she had, at some point during his rant, fallen asleep.

"Oh, well…" He muttered to himself. "I guess it's maybe better that you didn't hear that. It's crazy, anyway." He bent down and pressed a kiss on her forehead, taking her cheek in his hand. "Sweet dreams, my lady."


End file.
